Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for controlling an internal combustion engine and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine. An internal combustion engine which has a drive train with a shaft is controlled by the following steps: measuring a rotational speed of a shaft of a drive train via a rotational speed sensor; measuring a first and a second pedal position of an accelerator pedal with first and second pedal position sensors where the first and second pedal position sensors provide continuous value range signals of the pedal position; determining whether or not the continuous value range signals of the first and second pedal position sensors are within acceptable tolerances; and implementing an emergency running mode of the internal combustion engine if one of the continuous value range signals is not within acceptable tolerances and deriving an actuation signal for an actuator of the internal combustion engine in the emergency running mode from the continuous value range signal which is within the acceptable tolerance for limiting a rise in the rotational speed within a prescribed time interval in the emergency running mode to a prescribed first rise value.
The invention also teaches a device for controlling an internal combustion engine having a drive train with a shaft, an actuator, and first and second pedal position sensors for measuring a position of an accelerator pedal and outputting measurement signals with a continuous value range.
A method and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine are described in German Patent Application DE 44 06 088 A1. The described internal combustion engine is assigned two pedal position sensors, and each sensor measures the position of an accelerator pedal. If a failure of one of the two pedal position sensors is detected, a control unit calculates an desired-value for the throttle valve position from the accelerator pedal position measured by the fault-free pedal position sensor. However, with the known method and with the known device there is the risk of a vehicle with an internal combustion engine accelerating in an uncontrolled fashion if the second pedal position sensor also fails.